Hillman Minx
The Hillman Minx was a series of middle-sized family cars produced under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group between 1932 and 1970. There have been many versions of the Minx over the years, as well as various badge-engineered versions which were sold under the Humber, Singer, and Sunbeam marques. For most of the 1960s the Minx and its derivatives were the greatest-volume sellers of the "Audax" family of cars from Rootes which also included the Singer Gazelle and Sunbeam Rapier. The final version of the Minx was the "New Minx" launched in 1967, which was part of the "Arrow" family and essentially a basic version of the Hillman Hunter. Generally the Minx was available in four-door saloon and estate forms, with a 1496 cc engine. The Hillman Super Minx was a slightly larger model offered during the Audax era. Throughout the life of the Minx there was usually an estate version, and from 1954 to 1965 there was also a short-wheelbase estate, the Hillman Husky, and additionally a van derivative of that, known as the Commer Cob. The Minx brand was revived briefly – along with the "Rapier" model name, as applied to the Sunbeam Rapier version of the Audax family – as a special edition late in the life of the Talbot Alpine / Talbot Solara cars, produced by Chrysler Europe after the demise of the Rootes Group. Pre WWII Minx The original Minx was introduced in 1932 with a pressed steel body on separate chassis and 30 bhp 1185 cc engine. It was upgraded with a four-speed transmission in 1934 and a styling upgrade, most noticeably a slightly V-shaped grille. For 1935 synchromesh was added but the range was otherwise similar. The 1936 model got a new name, the Minx Magnificent, and a restyle with much more rounded body. The chassis was stiffened and the engine moved forwards to give more passenger room. The rear panel, hitherto vertical, was now set at a sloping angle, and the manufacturers offered the option of a folding luggage grid which could be attached to the rear panel and was available for "two pounds, seven shillings and sixpence" (slightly under £2.40) painted. A Commer-badged estate car was added to the range. The final pre-war model was the 1938 Minx. There were no more factory-built tourers but some were made by Carbodies. The car was visually similar to the Magnificent, with a different grille, and access to the luggage boot (trunk) was external (that on the predecessor was accessed by folding down the rear seat). There were two saloon models in the range, the basic "Safety" model with simple rexine trim instead of leather, no opening front quarterlights, and less luxurious trim levels. The De Luxe model had leather trim, opening quarterlights, extra trim pads, and various other comfort benefits. The 1938 model was not the final iteration before the outbreak of war however, as the 1939 model was considerably different mechanically, with virtually the entire drivetrain improved to the extent that few parts are interchangeable with the 1938 model. This includes gearbox, differential, half shafts, steering box, and a great many other mechanical and cosmetic changes. Even the front grille, which to the casual eye looks almost identical to the 1938 model, became a pressed alloy component rather than a composite. Wartime Minx During the Second World War, British car companies produced simple Utility load carriers, the ''Car, Light Utility'' or "Tilly". For Hillman it was the Hillman 10HP, a Minx chassis with two-person cab and covered load area behind. The basic saloon was also produced for military and essential civilian use from 1940 to 1944. Operators * : British Army, RAF Postwar Minx The Minx sold between 1945 and 1947 had the same 1185 cc side-valve engine, the same wheelbase and virtually the same shape as the prewar Minx. This postwar Minx became known as the Minx Mark I (or Minx Phase I). Between 1947 and 1948 a modified version, known as the Minx Mark II was offered. A much more modern looking Minx, badged as the Mark III, was sold from 1948. This was the first Minx with a protruding boot / trunk which effectively respected the Ponton, three-box design by then replacing the 'flat back' look, inherited from models that had made their debut in the 1930s. Three different body styles were offered initially, these being saloon, estate car and drop-head coupé (convertible). Beneath the metal, however, and apart from updated front suspension, little had changed: the Mark III retained the 1185 cc side-valve engine of its predecessor. Claimed power output, at , was also unchanged. However, in 1949 the old engine was bored out and compression ratio increased, for the Mark IV Minx, to 1265 cc, and power output increased by 7% to . A Mark IV saloon tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 39.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £505 including taxes, the price including radio (£36), over-riders (£5) and heater (£18). Further minor facelifts followed. In 1953, with the Minx Mark VI, a fourth body variation was added, being the so-called Hillman Minx Californian, a two-door hard-top coupé with, slightly unusually, a b-pillar that wound down out of sight along with rear side window to give an unbroken window line when all windows were fully opened: the rear window assembly was of a three piece wrap-around form. The wheelbase and overall length of the car remained the same as those of the four-door saloon and convertible permutations. For the Mark VIII, in 1954 a new ohv 1390 cc engine was installed. This was the engine which, two years later, would be carried over into the first of the new "Audax series" Minxes. Audax design Hillman Minx (Series I to Series VI, 1956–67) The Audax body was designed by the Rootes Group, but helped by the Raymond Loewy design organisation, who were involved in the design of Studebaker coupés in 1953. The car went through a series of annual face lifts each given a Series number, replacing the Phase number used on the previous Minxes; there was no Series IV. The engine was new for the model with overhead valves – a first for a post war Hillman. Over the years the engine grew from 1390 cc (in the Series I and II) to 1725 cc in the Series VI. A variety of manual transmissions, with column or floor change, and automatic transmissions were offered. For the automatic version, the Series I and II used a Lockheed Manumatic two pedal system (really only a semi-automatic), the Phase III a Smiths Easidrive and the V/VI a Borg Warner. A Series III deLuxe saloon with 1494 cc engine tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 25.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £794 including taxes of £265. There were Singer Gazelle and Sunbeam Rapier variants of all these Hillman Minx models, and the names were again used on derivatives in the later Rootes Arrow range. Some models were re-badged in certain markets, with the Sunbeam and Humber marques used for some exports. The New Zealand importer/assembler Todd Motors created the Humber 80 (Minx) and 90 (Super Minx) as separate models – identical apart from the badges – as a way to secure scarce additional import licences for CKD assembly kits. This was acknowledged in the 1980s Roger Hall play Prisoners of Mother England, in which a newly arrived immigrant in New Zealand spots one and exclaims: "Humber 80? There's no such car!" Gallery File:Hillman Minx Special 4-D Saloon 1953.jpg|Hillman Minx Mark VI (Phase VI) 4-Door Saloon 1953 File:Hillman Minx Mark 8 1955.JPG|Hillman Minx Mark VIII (Phase VIII) 4-Door Saloon 1955 Image:Hillman Minx Californian.jpg|Hillman Minx Californian Image:Hillman Minx Series III.jpg|Hillman Minx Series III Image:Hillman Minx Series III side.jpg|Hillman Minx Series III in side view Image:Hillman Minx Series IIIA.jpg|Hillman Minx Series IIIA – chrome grille Image:Hillman Minx Series IIIC.jpg|Hillman Minx Series IIIC – a cheaper Minx Image:1959 Humber 80.jpg|1959 Humber 80 – a Hillman Minx Series III badged as Humber for some markets such as (here) in New Zealand Image:Hillman Minx Series V.jpg|Hillman Minx Series V. The almost identical Series VI lost the bumper over-riders but featured the larger Rootes 1725cc engine Image:1965.hillman.super.minx.arp.750pix.jpg| Launched late in 1961, the Hillman Super Minx was intended at one stage to replace the Minx Series III. In the event the Series III would be replaced in 1963 by the Series V, while the Super Minx was launched as a separate, albeit closely related, model. File:Hillman Minx Arrow type near Biggleswade.JPG| The final Hillman Minx was a reduced specification Hillman Hunter. Minx Cabriolets Image:Hillman Minx Mark VIII Cabriolet 1955.jpg|Hillman Minx Mark VIII Convertible ca 1955 Image:Hillman Minx Series I.jpg|Hillman Minx Series I Convertible ca 1962 Image:Hillman Minx Series IIIB.jpg|Hillman Minx Series IIIB featuring an alloy grille in place of the chrome grill of the Series IIIA Image:Hillman Minx Convertible.jpg|Hillman Minx Series IIIC convertible: the last of the convertible Minx line Models Preservation ]] List any known surviving examples below * - Seen at Carrington Steam and Tractor Rally 2011 See also * Clubs Listing * List of car brands References External links * Hillman Minx website * Rootes-Chrysler website * Minx Category:Vehicles introduced in 1932 Hillman Minx